Historical background

The President’s Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan was formed by the President’s Decree on the basis of the Central State Archives of the modern history in 1994. It represents the technologically equipped complex which is carrying out the primary goals in securing of information-archival activity of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, his Administration and other state bodies, which directly subordinated to the Head of the State.

The Archives is placed in a building constructed on a standard project in 1974, has 8 archival storehouses and office accommodations. Storehouses are equipped by metal racks in the extent of 29 thousand meters, are connected to the automated systems of an artificial microclimate and the security-fire signal system.

As of January 1, 2008 the Archives has more than 700 thousand units of storage for the period of 1918-2006, including:

• Nearby 660 thousand units on a paper basis;
• More than 10 thousand units of the audiovisual documentation;
• Nearby 50 thousand units (6 320 thousand negatives of microfilms) from insurance fund copies of very important documents.

 

Archival funds of the state bodies are opened for public access on 1990 inclusive.

In archival funds «The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan», «Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan», «Republican Guards of the Republic of Kazakhstan», «Administrative Affairs of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan», «Interstate Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, the Republic of Uzbekistan and its Executive Committee», «Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan» etc., the unique information reflecting epoch-making events becoming of the sovereign state, multidimensional questions of external and internal policy, the international relations, the major processes of economy’s transformation, and cultural development of the country is concentrated.

The President’s originals of acts, texts of his speaches on the international congresses, forums and meetings are stored here.

Documents of the state bodies are supplemented with documents of political and public organizations: «Nur Otan» the People?s Democratic party, Socialist party, National Unity of Kazakhstan party, «Adilet» historical and educational society, «Bobek» children’s welfare fund.

The most extensive information on a political, social and economic life of the republic during an epoch of socialism is introduced in funds of the Central Committee of Communist party of Kazakhstan, Central Committee of Communist Youth League (Komsomol) of Kazakhstan, and also their predecessors.

Starting from 1998 the Archives has begun gathering documents of a personal origin. It first of all — documents of political, state and public figures of Kazakhstan. There are 24 personal funds (4 th. units) on the state storage. Among them funds of K. Tokayev, M. Beissebayev, M. Ospanov, A. Alimzhanov, M. Kozybaev, G. Belger, S. Kubashev, A. Rybnikov, M. Zhiharev, O. Batyrbekov, Z. Omarova, A. Alybaev, M. Isinaliev and others.

For the years which have been last from the date of the Archives organisation, it is restored more than 900 thousand sheets of documents, it is bound and filed 78 thousand cases, it is restored nearby 11 thousand sheets of weakly contrasting and fading texts. On a «Start» complex it is produced more than 1 500 thousand microphotocopies frames of very important documents, and as for use by researchers in the Archives reading room.

The special attention is given to updating of the National archival fund by informatively high-grade documentary complexes. The circle of establishments — sources of acquisition has considerably extended: from 9 — in 1994 to 30 — in 2007, and also 63 of fund formators on acquisition by documents of a personal origin.

The Archives has 3.1 thousand the archival inventories opening the contents of stored cases. Various indexes are made to inventories of the most significant funds. Inventories-indexes are created to declassified funds of the republican control bodies of Communist party of Kazakhstan. In 2001 for the first time was published the directory «The President’s Archives of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The Guidebook», which gives full representation about archival funds, about structure and the contents of the most significant of them. The first release of the Directory on funds of a personal origin is published.

The system of the catalogues numbering nearby 175 thousand of cards with the versatile information on the modern history of Kazakhstan is given to services of the researchers.

For years of existence of the Archives 11 automated registration and information retrieval databases are developed and introduced. Industrial introduction of system «Electronic archives of the state body» is conducted.

43 personal computers, 8 workstations, 8 scanners, 42 printers are used for maintenance of the automated search and processing of the information. The local area network operates.

For the expired years the Archives published 31 documentary collections and the reference edition in 36 volumes. (See a heading «Editions and publications of Archives»). Since 1998 the Archives annually releases the Calendar of significant dates (under documents of Archives).

All these years the Archives closely cooperates with mass media. On problems of political history it is prepared more than 150 articles and interview for newspapers, 98 the radio-and telecasts. The Archives has taken part in preparation of «Бiрiншi» documentary television serial for «Habar» telechannel. Independently, as well as with the Presidential Center of Culture, Central State Museum, Central State Archives, the State Archives of Almaty area it is introduced more than 40 exhibitions and 150 lectures-excursions.

On the basis of the Archives it is spent educational and industrial practice for students of historical faculties of high educational institutions.

Versatile on structure and highly informative complex of the documents which are stored at the Archives, draws attention of the numerous domestic and foreign researchers studying the modern history of Kazakhstan. For thirteen years 1 274 researchers from Russia, Armenia, Uzbekistan, the USA, the Great Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Poland and Romania have worked in a reading room. They have interested at documentary sources about transformation of the State political system in 1920-1930, social problems of a virgin soil, economy, an agriculture, and culture development; about social and political history of GULAG and many other things. At the same time Archives has provided more than 4 thousand thematic, social and legal inquiries of the state bodies and citizens.

Cooperation with archival establishments of foreign countries and the International Council of Archives (ICA) is developing. Since 2003 the Archives is a member of the ICA’s Euroasian branch and has participated at the Congresses of Archives (Pekin, Seville, Vein), as well as has taken part at 7 International Conferences on Archival Business (Stockholm, Samara, Moscow, Astana, Yerevan).

The Archives has the branch in Astana.